Mary Gallagher walks again

Ghosts of Griffintown, an evocative hour-long documentary about a vanished Irish working-class neighbourhood in southwest Montreal, will be shown tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in the de Sève Cinema, under the auspices of the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies.

Many older Montrealers remember Griffintown, and the filmmaker, Richard Burman, was able to tap their memories and photo albums to build up a portrait of a close-knit community with a rich social, religious and sporting life. As such, it’s an excellent resource for the Centre.

Griffintown even has its own ghost, a prostitute named Mary Gallagher who was decapitated by a jealous rival. Locals like to think she comes back on the anniversary of her murder, looking for her losthead.

This is the fourth screening of Ghosts of Griffintown in Montreal. It will likely be shown on CFCF, and perhaps on network television, but seeing it in the spacious de Sève Cinema, perhaps with appreciative ex-Griffintowners sitting nearby, is an ideal way to enjoy it. The filmmaker will be present to discuss his work. Admission is $5.

Lecture in Irish Studies

The Concordia Irish Studies lecture series will present a lecture on Feb. 6 by Claire Connolly, visiting associate professor at Boston College, on “The Turn to the Map: Cartography in Contemporary Irish Culture.” The lecture is at 8:30 p.m. in Room H-431.

Dr. Connolly’s research is focused on the cultural history of the years around the Act of Union. She has published on the place of critical and cultural theory in Irish studies, in particular the relationship between feminist and postcolonial approaches. Author of a book called Romantic Ireland: The Novel and the Shaping of Irish National Culture, 1790-1829, she is editing the Cambridge Companion to Modern Irish Culture.